Spanish company Indra has partnered with the Polytechnic University of Madrid (UPM) to jointly develop and integrate the sensors for Spanish Navy’s future F110 frigate.

The partnership agreement has been reached within the industrial plan for the PROTEC F110 program, through which Indra will boost collaboration with companies and research centers.

According to Indra, the works will commence this year and will last until 2019.

The first areas of collaboration that have been identified are related to the analysis, design and development of elements for the identification friend or foe (IFF) system, the X-band radar for the surveillance of surface and low-flying aerial targets, and the radar electronic support measures (RESM) system.

Indra will start working with UPM’s radiation, microwave and radar groups, with which it has collaborated in other projects in the past.

The PROTEC F110 research and development program will equip the Spanish Navy’s new frigate with a new mast that will house all of the vessel’s sensors. Indra says these will be composed of flat elements to lower the radar cross section, making them harder to detect.

Indra’s input in the program consists in developing the primary radars for both aerial and surface surveillance; the secondary radar or IFF system; the radar electronic support measures and communications systems, and their countermeasure systems to protect the vessel; and the Link 16 communications system. All of these systems will be integrated into the Navantia SCOMBA combat system.

The F-110 frigates that are to be manufactured by Navantia are intended to replace the six Santa Maria-class ships as they approach the end of their service life.